Pico-ITX

Key takeaways

Pico-ITX belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Pico-ITX to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Pico-ITX from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

In computer design, Pico-ITX is a PC motherboard form factor announced by VIA Technologies in January 2007 and demonstrated later the same year at CeBIT. The formfactor was transferred over to SFF-SIG in 2008. The Pico-ITX form factor specifications call for the board to be 10 × 7.2 cm (3.9 × 2.8 in), which is half the area of Nano-ITX.

EPIA PX

PX10000G The first motherboard produced in this form factor is called EPIA PX10000G. It is 10 × 7.2 cm (3.9 × 2.8 in) and the printed circuit board is 10 layers deep. The operating temperature range is from 0 to about 50 °C (32 to about 122 °F). The operating humidity level (relative and non-condensing) can be from 0% to about 95%. It uses a 1 GHz VIA C7-M processor, a VIA VX700 chip set, and is RoHS compliant. It has onboard VGA video, VIA VT6106S 10/100 8P8C Ethernet, UDMA 33/66/100/133 44-pin ATA (1x), and SATA (1x) I/O. DVI and LVDS video-out, USB 2.0, COM, PS/2 Mouse & Keyboard, and HD 5.1 channel audio (supplied by a VIA VT1708A chip) are supported through the usage of I/O pin headers and add-on modules/daughter cards. It has been demonstrated running Microsoft Windows XP and Windows Vista. older versions of major Linux distributions, including Fedora Core 6 and Ubuntu 7.10, will also run on it. It is available as a single board, as well as part of a barebones package, the Artigo, a small form factor complete computer.

PX5000 This model is similar to the PX10000G, but uses the 500 MHz VIA Eden ULV CPU. There are two versions of this model, the PX5000G, which has a fan-assisted heatsink, and the PX5000EG, which has a fanless heatsink.

Add-on modules (Note: Either the VIA PX-O add-on module or 4 USB 2.0 I/O are supplied in retail packages.) The VIA PX-O daughtercard supplies access to:

1 RCA-out for S/PDIF usage 4 USB 2.0 ports 1 3.5mm Mic-in, 1 3.5mm line-out, 1 3.5mm line-in 1 buzzer/speaker 1 CN9 connector (function TBC) 1 CN10 connector (function TBC). The VIA VT1625M daughtercard supplies access to:

1 external TV-out 1 video capture port. The Serener PXFPIO (also labeled under VIA PX-DIO) is 109mm × 22mm in size and connects via a 120mm ribbon cable through a daughter card. This addon may require modification to the heatsink due to the size of the daughter card. It supplies access to:

power & reset switches 3.5mm audio in/out S/PDIF-in power & HDD activity LEDs 4 USB 2.0 ports The VIA PX-TC daughter card, compatible with the PX10000G only, is designed to enhance the multimedia capture and output. It supplies access to:

1 S-Video port 1 video-in port 1 YPbPr port 1 S/PDIF-out

EPIA-P700 The second motherboard series in this form factor, the P700 series improves upon the PX10000G series by offering Gigabit Ethernet (Using the VIA VT6122 chipset) or a 10/100 Ethernet adapter (VIA VT6107) as a manufacturing option, integrating the power adapter (allowing for direct +12V DC-In & enabling it to directly power SATA), and making the Ethernet & VGA ports optional via the P700-A daughter card. Expanded functionality is offered via the following pin I/O:

1 LAN 1 VGA/DVI 1 COM Port 1 Audio pin connector for Line-out, Line-in, MIC-in 1 Front panel 4 USB 2.0 1 PS2 mouse/keyboard 1 LVDS 1 LPC/SM Bus/GPIO (Unusable due to VIA not releasing a GPIO driver) The EPIA-P700-10L has a 1 GHz VIA C7 CPU. The EPIA-P700-05LE has a 500 MHz VIA Eden ULV CPU and has a passive heatsink.

Add-on modules The P700 comes retail with the P700-A & P700-B daughter cards. The P700-A supplies:

Gigabit Ethernet 1 VGA port 1 COM port DVI port via I/O cable The P700-B supplies:

4 USB 2.0 ports 1 Buzzer 1 Line-out, 1 Line-in, 1 MIC-in (3.5 mm)

Intel-based products Even though the form factor was introduced by VIA Technologies, there are also boards available based on Intel processors. Some have the CPU and the chipset directly on the Pico-ITX board.

ARM-based products Pico-ITX boards are also available with ARM architecture. In this field DH electronics uses the standardized DHCOM Computer On Modules with several ARM based modules.

Pico-ITXe

The Pico-ITXe specification adds onto the Pico-ITX form factor by taking the EPIA-P700 and upgrading the chipset to a VX800, doubling the maximum RAM to 2 GB, allowing for 667/533 SO-DIMM RAM, upgrading the GPU to VIA's Chrome9 HC3, and adding support for SUMIT. Another notable addition is the expansion from 10 to 12 layers thickness.

See also EPIA Mini-ITX Mobile-ITX Ultra-Mobile PC

References

External links Pico-ITX Initiative Website VIA EPIA PX Motherboard Series Home Page "EPIA PX-Series Pico-ITX Mainboard Operating Guide" (Version 1.1, 1.12MB PDF) EPIA-PX User’s Manual (Version 1.11, 478KB PDF) "World's first pico-itx review", the VIA PX10000G (mini-itx.com) Level Eleven Pico-ITX case mod

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Pico-ITX

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Pico-ITX claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Pico-ITX before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Pico-ITX ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Pico-ITX

In research: Pico-ITX appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Pico-ITX in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Pico-ITX is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computer-related introductions in 2007, IBM PC compatibles, Motherboard form factors, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Pico-ITX outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Pico-ITX in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Pico-ITX means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Pico-ITX out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pico-ITX in simple terms?

In computer design, Pico-ITX is a PC motherboard form factor announced by VIA Technologies in January 2007 and demonstrated later the same year at CeBIT. The formfactor was transferred over to SFF-SIG in 2008.

Why does Pico-ITX matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Pico-ITX?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Pico-ITX.